Noctua NH-D12L chromax.black Review – Compact & Expensive

Epilogue

The Noctua NH-D12L chromax.black is among the smallest high-end air coolers on the market. It can cope with the increased thermal loads of power-hungry processors like the Intel i9-14900K and AMD Ryzen 9 7950x. It has a high price tag, as is the case for almost all Noctua products, but its build quality is superb. On top of that, it uses a quality fan, which helps it achieve a dead silent operation. This is the primary advantage of air-coolers compared to AIOs; the first achieves much quieter operation at the expense of the increased footprint, which can create compatibility issues with RAM modules and enormous mainboard VRM heatsinks.

The all-black design of the NH-D12L chromax.black helps it hide its already small dimensions. It doesn’t do anything about the high price tag, which puts this air cooler in the AIO territory. All Noctua products have extra-high build quality and achieve good performance, but their prices are high, and this turns away many users, especially the ones on tight budgets. For 50-60 dollars, the NH-D12 chromax.black would easily get a recommendation from me since, despite its compact dimensions, it manages to control the temperatures of power-hungry processors. Still, at the current 100-dollar price tag, you must be a huge fan of the brand to prefer this product over a less expensive one or an AIO.

If you are searching for fans for your AIO or chassis, read my Best Cooling Fans article before investing in new cooling solutions. You help me a lot by using my affiliate links, which don’t increase the product’s price. I get a commission from Amazon every time you do it, which can make a difference for me, especially now that I am on my own, working exclusively for my media and not for someone else.